Wizard City Cleaning Crew 395
by Hazing Insanity
Summary: It's your average Wizard101 story, a young girl gets transported into Wizard City from Earth. But a couple of things are a little different. For one thing, she's not exactly in Wizard City. The second? She's not exactly human.
1. The Beginning

Everyone has a different view on why things go the way they go. Whether it be a higher power or just a random coincidence, no one can ever seem to fully predict what's going to happen next. For instance, when I woke up this morning the first thought wasn't, _'I'm going to die'_, but here we are. Life's funny that way. Maybe the universe just likes screwing with people.

At this point, I can't help but wonder if I brought this on myself. I mean, I was never the healthiest of eaters or even the most active. But even so, aren't I a little young for a heart attack. If this even is a heart attack, for all I know my liver could be exploding. All I know is that the pain... Now that I think about it, there isn't really any pain. It's moreover inconvenient. Sure I can't stand up, breathe, and I feel like a guy who took a few to many trips to Burger King is sitting on me, but saying its painful is a bit of a stretch.

As far as I can remember, the whole day had been strange.

* * *

><p><em>'Damn movie scare-athon,'<em> I looked groggily at my class schedule. It was the first day of seventh grade and I could barely keep my eyes open.

"Hey, Superman! What's up?"

I turned to see my friend running toward me. "Hey Emma," the moment my head went down in a nod, I nearly fell to the floor in sleep. Luckily, Emma had been close enough to catch me before that happened.

"Scare-athon?" She questioned.

"Scare-athon," I confirmed, "Why can't the television people make scare-athons start in the morning?"

Emma shrugged, "Scary movies wouldn't be as scary in the morning. Besides, I checked out the movies on the TV schedule and they were the kind you couldn't even bring Norman Bates to see. Weren't some of those movies banned from countries, let alone television?"

"Yep! It almost got canceled and everything! There was a crap load of legal action, but the genre of horror triumphed in the end!" My fists went to my sides in a pose that made me worthy of the Superman nickname I had been given. "Take that you damn annoying legal action!"

"Speaking of annoyances," She looked over to a group of sixth graders who had probably been staring at us for a while, "Looks like you've got some new fans."

I looked over at the sixth graders, then looked back to her, "Nah, they probably just saw you and couldn't believe someone could be that ugly." There was a pressure in my ribs and the world tilted to the side for a moment. I turned back to Emma, who was pulling her elbow away. I raised an eyebrow, "_Really_? You're going to try and hurt _me_?" I stifled a laugh. She huffed out a sigh of exasperation. Her hands on her hips like mine were, though for a different reason.

"Shut it, Superman," Emma rolled her eyes. She quickly placed her hands on my back and began to steer me in the direction of the auditorium. "Come on, let's go to orientation before the kiddies decide to ask you for an autograph."

After several mishaps of nearly falling asleep standing up, we finally made it to the auditorium. By now I could barely keep my eyes open. "Let's sit in the back. You can sleep there without being noticed," Emma told me. I nodded and stumbled half blindly toward a corner seat in the back, collapsing in sleep the moment I sat down. Hopefully, by the time the orientation was over, I would be able to go about my day.

* * *

><p>I felt good, better than someone who just spent most of the night up should. I tried to wrap my arms around my pillow, but there was nothing to grab. It probably fell off the bed. I sighed and rolled over, my arm jammed into something hard. Confusion swept over me. That wasn't the wall. Memories quickly came back to me; I wasn't in bed, I was at school. So why was I on the floor? Did I slip off the chair? I quickly blinked open my eyes and shock swept over me. If I slid off the chair, my head would be towards the door in the back. But how, I racked my brain, could my head be toward the stage. It wasn't physically possible. A sudden voice startled me out my confusion.<p>

"I found her!" I flipped to my side, craning my head upward. The boy staring at me looked as confused as I was. "What are you doing down there?" A question I couldn't answer; I stared blankly at him before shrugging, or as much of a shrug as I could with my arms pinned between the chair and the floor.

"I'm coming!" I turned to see the person he had been originally speaking to. Oh, it was Emma. "What the hell are you doing down there?"

"I dunno," I replied, shrugging again. "What happened?"

"You were gone by the time I sat down, I just thought you went to the bathroom or something. But this kid," Emma motioned to the boy next to her, "Showed up at the beginning of my second period class, telling me to come with him and that you didn't show up to class. Honestly, you go missing and everyone assumes I know where you are. What do they think I am, your keeper?"

"Wait, wait, wait," I interrupted, pushing myself backwards on my stomach, "What do you mean I was gone?"

Emma frowned, "When I say you were gone, I mean you were gone. I sat down and you weren't there, just gone. Where did you go?"

"I didn't go anywhere!" I protested, "I just fell asleep."

"You obviously went somewhere, it's not like you fell face forward through a twelve inch gap," she commented. "Unless of course, you're intangible too," she remarked sarcastically.

"Are you?" Oh yeah, that boy was still here. From that comment, he was probably a sixth grader, or at least new. Emma and I stared at him in disbelief.

"No! What are you stupid?" I rolled my eyes as I finally managed to push myself out from under the chairs.

"N-no, I just thought that...It was just...I just thought that because you were," the boy stumbled over his words, getting more nervous by the second. Oh God, why is it that people got so weird when they were talking to me? I know I'm different, but sometimes it feels like there just doing it to annoy me.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't hurt yourself," I stood up, "You're in the same class as me right? I guess we can walk together there." The kid nodded enthusiastically. I turned back to Emma and waved, "See ya! I talk to you at lunch!"

"Bye!" She returned the wave and walked off.

* * *

><p>"You're kind of tall for a sixth grader."<p>

"Huh?" The boy turned to me, "Oh, I'm not in the sixth grade. I guess I'd be in the eighth."

"You guess?" I raised an eyebrow. He nodded, chewing on his lip.

"I like your hair," he commented, "It's not real, right?"

"If that was supposed to be a compliment, I'm pretty sure you're doing it wrong," I glared at him, "Yeah it's fake, but it's stuck to my head like real hair, so don't try and pull it off or anything."

"I heard you can't grow any hair on your body, that even your eyelashes are fake," he commented. Seriously, what was with this guy? Did he leave his social tact at home? Probably sensing my rising annoyance, he quickly continued, "I'm not saying it to be rude or anything, I just thought it was interesting."

I sighed, "Yeah I suppose." I couldn't help but examine my arm; no hair, felt like leather, and according to doctors, I was more durable than a rock. The odd part? I was almost as light as air, when I walked, I practically glided. Unfortunately, it made walking a lot more difficult, this was where weighted shoes came in handy. All in all, I was a medical anomaly. "I guess it can be useful. You know, if I get attacked or something."

"You have no idea how useful it is," he nodded. That was kind of weird. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you something. Want to go on a date?" And it just got weirder.

"Are you serious? What was that before, your version of flirting?" Then again, I looked him over, he was kind of cute. "I don't even know you're name."

"It's Kory. Meet me at the cafe in the bookstore outside your house at five."

"Uh, yeah sure," I looked away for a moment, "Wait, how did you know where-" When I turned back around, he was gone.

* * *

><p>I couldn't believe I was doing this. Here I was, at the bookstore waiting for the date that, as it turns out, probably didn't even go to my school. I felt stupid just sitting here, I wasn't even sure if he was going to show up. Just as I was about to succumb to common sense and leave, someone entered the shop. I looked around to see who it was, what do you know, he showed up. I stood up and began to wave him over when an intense pressure swept over me, pinning me to the floor. Getting back up quickly became impossible. As the panic rose within me, I couldn't help but wonder if the universe likes to screw with people.<p> 


	2. Introductions  Part One

Snuggling deeper under the covers, getting up wasn't my first priority. But I couldn't be late for school on the first day. Pushing myself into a sitting position, I stretched and looked around my room. Which apparently, wasn't my room. This room also seemed to come with a kid, a rather nice looking boy reading a newspaper. Wait, I remember him, that's Kory. This must be his room, what the hell was I doing in his room. He didn't seem to notice me yet, so I got up and began to creep my way over to the door. With one hand on the door I turned to see what he was doing. His head was still buried behind a newspaper with a title that had me a little taken aback; GOBBLER KING FUNDS LARGEST SNACK SHOP. Oh man, tabloids were so over reaching these days. Turning back to the door, I slowly began to open...

"What are you doing?"

I felt my heart leap into my throat as I let out a scream. I also felt my nose jam into my skull when I slammed the door into it. Now, unfortunately, I was yelling out of pain rather than fear.

"Don't worry," Kory's voice came up from behind me, "You're not in pain, your body won't allow it for something as minor as that. You just scared yourself." Letting go of my "injured" nose, I realized that he was right. The pain, as it turns out, really was just me panicking. I wasn't sure what I should do at that point, so I just settled for standing awkwardly and looking stupid. It took me a few moments to snap back into reality.

"What do you mean, I scared _myself_? You're the one who kidnapped me! Why the hell am I in your room anyway?" I demanded with hands on hips in my Superman pose.

It was a little unsettling when he started laughing, "_Kidnapped_ you? Don't worry, that wasn't my intention. I was only planning on borrowing you for awhile." Yeah, that was convincing. He continued, "If you want to return home, you'll have every right to. You'll just have to clear it up with my boss. Oh and by the way, if you decide to stay, this is your room not mine." I looked at him in disbelief, weren't answers supposed to make things less confusing?

"My room? Your boss? What on Earth are talking about?" I could tell I was just wasting my time by even talking to this guy, I had get home. Storming over to the door, I opened it with the intention of leaving.

"Wait," I stopped when I heard him speak again, "You won't be able to leave until you clear it up with my boss."

"Yeah, I will," I stepped through the opening, "Ever hear of the bus?" Slamming the door shut behind me, I promptly froze when I saw what was on the outside. With all the old fashioned houses and what looked like a castle tower, it looked like a medieval renaissance fair. While the medieval theme was a bit strange, it was the people who I found quite unsettling. Well, some of them anyway. The fact that most people were dressed like a rainbow vomited all over said renaissance fair was generally hilarious, but some of the people were less than amusing if not flat out creepy. A few of the knights of the rainbow-unicorn table seemed to be moving very little, and it was hard to describe but they seemed... Out of place, if you will. In fact, I could almost swear that they were transparent. No, that's stupid; I quickly shook the thought away. But just to be sure... I stepped cautiously over to one of the off-looking ones. "Uh, sir? Are you o-"

"He can't hear you, ya know, " I jerked up slightly when I finally noticed Kory's presence. "They're not on our plane of existance," he stepped in front of the man and raised his hand above his head, before swinging it down with emphasis. I choked down a yell of protest when Kory's hand passed straight through the man's head. Cautiouslly, I placed one of my own hands through the man's chest. A strange feeling swept through my fingers, it was warm and thick, a bit like a stew.

"H-he's not, um, well... Is he-?"

"Dead?" Kory's abruptness of the matter was a bit startling, "No, as I said before, he's not on the same plane as us." Probably sensing my confusion, he continued, "We live in the Between."

Such a simple statement, yet for some "_odd_" reason it only made things even more confusing. "In between _what_?" The edge in my voice was apparent, my patience quickly wearing thin.

He shrugged calmly, "Everything, I guess. It's why or skin is so tough, if it wasn't we would be crushed under the pressure of this place." Kory paused, suddenly looking a bit distant, "Any human who tried to enter here would be killed instantly." He turned in a quick motion toward me, my heart skipping a beat as he fixed a cold gaze on me, "Have you ever seen a person implode and explode at the the same time?"

Seen it? I could barely picture it in my mind, for both logical and emotional reasons. I meekly shook my head. "Let's hope you never do," he stated quietly.

A smile appeared on his face as quickly as the dark mood before had. "Well anyway, let's go see my boss. He can tell you what's going on." Kory grabbed my wrist and I half expected that he was planning to drag me somewhere. My mouth barely opened to protest before I realized we were in a completely different. I looked around in confusion, how in the hell did we end up here? "We transported to my team base. It's where the squad I, and maybe you, work in." At least this answer made a lot more sense than the last one.

I looked around, judging by the doors and hallway, this was probably the size of a small house. Hell, I think it _is_ a small house. I followed Kory into a small room and gaped in shock. _Holy crap_. I take back my comment of this being a small room. This place was _miniscule_, slightly smaller than the size of a cubicle. The stacks of books and files crowded around the desk that was obviously to big for the room really didn't help either. But the person sitting behind the desk was even stranger to look at. He was wearing a hood which completely obscured his face, though judging by the glinting coming from within the shadows of it, he was probably wearing glasses. Personally, I wasn't entirely sure he was a guy with the hood and all. But it wasn't the way he looked that was so unsettling, it was what he was doing. Swaying his hand back and forth, he hummed along to some unknown music. A perfectly normal pastime, but there was something off about him. Something distant. Something... Absent. "Hey Sponge!" Kory's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, "Calamity's here." Oh thank goodness, finally someone can... Wait, did he just call that guy _Sponge_? Better question, what did he just call me?

"Uh, what did you just call-"

"Ah! Calamity Lotusdreamer, I'm so glad to finally meet you," this so called Sponge waved at me. His voice was as airy as his wave. _What_ did he just call me?

"Calamity Lotusdreamer?" I raised an eyebrow in question.

"We already asked you for your name. Remember?" He passed it off casually, "It's so hard to understand someone who's half conscious. That is your name, isn't it?"

"Actually it's-"

"You're probably wondering why you're here!" Sponge interjected.

"Well, yes. But as I was saying, my name-"

"We live in a place that's in between all other realms, a place we know as the Between," He continued, showing know signs that he heard me.

"Kory already told me that part. About my name?"

"On the outside of the between, people battle for both sport and defense. In the process, the battlefield can get damaged beyond belief."

"You're not listening to a word I'm saying, are you?" I glanced over at Kory, who shrugged sheepishly.

"It is our job as Janitors to fix the damage the battles cause. However, the people on the outside don't exactly know we exist and shouldn't know as well. A big reason as to why we live here is so they don't know of our existence. This place keeps us invisible to those on the outside and the Between's time is faster than normal time, which allows us to fix the damage as soon as it happens."

"Yes, yes, that's all very interesting," I waved him off dismissively, "But when can I go home?"

The confusion was evident in Sponge's voice, "Home?" Kory suddenly looked incredibly uncomfortable.

"Yes, home! I don't care about whatever you're blathering on about, I just want to go home!" What was with that look on his face? Kory already said that she could go home if she wanted to.

"You're from Earth," Sponge stated simply, as if it would explain everything. Kory looked about ready to run out the door.

"And you're point," my patience was thinning and fear growing.

"Didn't you tell her?" Sponge looked over at Kory.

"Tell me _what_?" I snarled.

Kory was white as a sheet, nervously fiddling with his hands, "Well, I was going to tell you. But I wasn't sure how." I really didn't like where this was going. "You see, Earth has very limited, if any, magic resources. This type of thing makes it incredibly difficult for magical beings to get there." I _really_ didn't like where this was going. "Only those with special abilities like me can go to Earth, and even then I wan't _technically_ on Earth. So what I'm trying to say is that you can't, um, well..."

"_What_ exactly, " My fists were clenched tightly, "I can't _what_?"

"You can't go home."


	3. Introductions Part Two

"Say that again," I took a threatening step towards Kory, "What exactly can't I do? Come on, repeat it. I _dare_ you." I could feel my blood practically boiling under my skin. "Why the hell would you bring me here if you knew that I wouldn't be able to go back?" I demanded, "Just what the hell kind of place are you running here?" My fists were shaking; if someone didn't give me a good explanation soon, someone was going to get their face punched in.

"H-hold on! I was only following orders!" Kory put his hands up defensively, "My boss was the one who told me to bring you here!"

Oh that's right, this guy was just some lackey wasn't he? If I'm correct, his boss is the boy behind me. In that case... I spun around on my heels, turning to fix a glare on the dopey kid from before.

"Are you stupid?" I growled at him.

"More or less," Sponge shrugged.

I was taken aback by his reply, but went on, "Just who do you think you are?"

"Well, I think I'm Sponge. Right?"

My eye twitched; I really hoped this guy wasn't being serious. "Have you been sniffing paint or something?"

He shook his head, "Oh no, I learned my lesson from the last time."

It was becoming glaringly obvious that Sponge was quite all there. I was pretty sure I was going to get nowhere by insulting him. Sighing, I tried my best to calm down. "Just what exactly am I doing here?" I hissed through clenched teeth.

"I told you already," he sounded confused, no big surprise there, "You were hired to help clean up after duels."

My eye twitched again, "Yes, but why did you bring me here when you knew I wouldn't be able to get back home? Did it ever occur to you that I had a life before you ultimately kidnapped me?"

"Oh yes, we looked into that," I saw the shadow of a smile underneath his hood, "We've been observing you for a while. You're daily life seemed to be consisting of watching horror movies and failing classes."

"And, what's your point?" I shot him another glare.

"Well, from what I've observed, I thought you might excel better in your natural enviornment. Considering that on Earth, you pretty much had no life and weren't very bright either."

I gaped in shock for a few moments. Who says something like that to a person? "Excuse me?" I lunged at him, the shock quickly wearing off. I wasn't able to reach him since I was held back by Kory, who had managed to wrap his arms under mine. Flailing my arms and kicking like hell, I continued to scream, "What the hell is wrong with you? You watch me for months and your reason to kidnap me is because you think I'm stupid and have no life?"

Sponge shrugged nonchalantly, "I didn't think that." I relaxed slightly. Maybe this guy wasn't so bad after... "I _knew_ you were stupid and had no life." My poor opinion shot up again as I let out a shriek of anger. I let out a string of vulgarities as Kory tried his best to hold me back. Sponge seemed to be staring at me rather absently as if there was nothing wrong with the scene that was occuring. "You have quite a temper problem," he stated calmly, "You should probably see a therapist about that." This only earned him another scream of anger.

"Hold on!" Kory shouted, "Violence isn't go to solve anything at the moment." Letting out a frustrated sigh, I stopped flailing. I had to admit he had a point. "Calamity, I know that this isn't an ideal situation. But the damage has been done," he acknowledged, "I propose that you stay here for a while and live as a Janitor, at least until you can find a way to return home. It will give you something to do while you wait."

I pulled away roughly, "Fine, whatever." He was right, if I was going to be stuck here, I might as well pass the time. "So, what do I do now?" I shoved my hands into my pockets, looking expectantly at the two boys. A few moments passed before I was suddenly taken off gaurd by a large book flying towards my face. I caught it, but almost fell over in the process. "What the hell was that for?" I demanded. "Who just tosses a book at someone?" A rather heavy book at that.

"You asked what you had to do next," Sponge explained, "You have to take a test that's located in that book. So I gave it to you." My eye twitched; more like he flung it straight for my head. "You should probably get that eye of yours checked," he stated.

I ignored the comment, "A test? Fine, how do I take it?"

"It's easy," Kory interjected, "You just open the book and touch what your answers are." That seemed easy enough. Sitting down on one of the shorter stacks of files, I opened the book.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Myth<em>**

Apparently I was best suited for the School of Myth. Whatever that meant. "Oh, you got Myth. How nice," Kory peered over my shoulder, "But since we mostly only clean up after duels, whichever school you got is mostly only for show though." I nodded in reply, not entirely sure as to what he was going on about. He grinned, "What's coming next however, is a deeply important occasion for all Janitors."

I raised an eyebrow, "And what would that be exactly?" He smiled in return, glancing over to Sponge. I felt someone grab my hand and the scene around me shifted. I looked around what seemed to be a large toolshed. The shed was filled with... Oh, ha. I looked at the contents of the shed with dry amusement. I could definately see why Kory called it an important occasion for _Janitors_.

"Take your pick," Sponge motioned towards the cleaning supplies, "Choose carefully though, the one you pick is the one your stuck with."

"Yeah, sure," I replied, looking over a spray bottle, "What are these for again?"

"The tool you choose will not only help you clean up duels, it will also serve as you're mount," Sponge explained, "Take mine for example." He motioned towards his feet, giving notice to the large _sponges_ that were strapped to them. I probably would have laughed if I wasn't so intrigued by the fact that he wasn't floating because of said sponges. Personally, I was more surprised by the fact that I didn't notice them before. I looked him over; without those floating sponges this guy was shorter that I was. Short enough for me to see over his head, I bet.

"Kory called you his boss. But I'm having a hard time figuring that one out. You seem a bit to young and way to dumb to be bossing around anyone," I pointed out, "No offence."

"Oh, I'm not to young," Sponge seemed to ignore the dumb comment, "You have to be at least thirteen to be a cleaning crew leader."

"You're thirteen?" I gave him a look of disbelief.

"Fifteen!" he stated proudly, "As for the whole being dumb thing, be a leader mostly only consists of paperwork and keeping up with whatever areas that need to be cleaned. So it really isn't that much work." I nodded, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this guy was fifteen.

I turned back to my search, looking over many different cleaning tools. It seemed so trivial, but Sponge was right, whichever once she chose was the once she was going to be stuck with for a while. Finally, something caught my eye. "I want this," I lifted up a mop. It's long wooden handle and white 'feelers' entertainingly reminded me of the mops from that wizard Mickey Mouse skit I saw as a child.

"Hm? Oh good," Sponge waved me off passively, "Let's go to bed now, I'm tired." He grabbed my hand again, transporting us to what Kory had said was my new room. "Tomorrow you'll be getting your new uniform and I'll be showing you how to clean up a duel, kay?"

"I have a question."

"Yeah?"

"Were not human, right?" I asked.

"Nope!"

My eye twitched, trying my best to ignore the childishly annoying tone in his voice that no teenager should have, "So what are we exactly?"

He paused, almost as if he were giving his answer some thought. "Oh, well," his voice seemed more distant than usual, "We're just..." His voice trailed off. The silence that followed was almost ominous. "What a silly question!" His voice regaining the childish tone from before, "We're Janitors of course!"


	4. Introductions Part Three

Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, it took me a few moments to fully remember what was going on. Looking around the room, my new room, it quickly came back to me. Oh that's right, I've been trapped in another dimension and am now currently obligated to clean up after 'duels' with magical cleaning implements. Oh right, and apparently I'm not human. In other words, it's been quite a busy day for me.

"Good morning."

I turned to Sponge, who was standing in the doorway, "Morning." Apparently I was more tired than I originally thought, as it took me another few moments to fully comprehend what was going on. I was currently sitting on my bed. In my underwear. With a teenage boy staring at me from the doorway. The _open_ doorway. I couldn't fully understand why I wasn't screaming at him in mortification. "What are you doing here?" I smiled at him. A sweet smile, but ultimately filled with malicious intent

"I got your uniform," he motioned to the blue and yellow lump of material hanging from his arm.

"Mhm," I nodded in acknowledgment, "Sponge, do you notice anything wrong with this picture?" He didn't reply; I'm pretty sure he was trying to figure it out. Let's see if he gets it. He stared at me, I stared back.

"Like what?" Was his only reply.

I offered him another 'smile', "Like the fact that I'm sitting here in my underwear?"

He stared at me for another few seconds before it finally seemed to click, "Oh I get it!" Sponge stood there for a little while longer, "Oh, right." He chuckled nervously and quickly left the room. I shook my head in disbelief. I thought all teenaged boys were supposed to at least react when they see a half-naked girl. I looked down on my body, perhaps I just wasn't developed enough for him. Or I'm just too young for him. Yes, that's a good explanation as any. I mean honestly, what would a teenage boy want with a middle school girl? I paused in thought. Am I not good enough for him?

Why am I even thinking about this?

I picked up the uniform; it definitely looked like something a janitor would wear. A janitor with school spirit from the look of the colors. I think I remembered seeing others outside wearing something similar to this, though the colors were different. I assume that the colors were of their choice. But how did they know I liked blue and-? Oh right, they've been watching me for months. I shuddered; it was rather unsettling to know that someone's been watching you for so long. Though it was also kind of baffling that they never managed to pick up my name through all that. I shook it off and quickly slipped into the uniform.

I evaluated myself in the large bathroom mirror, balancing on the edge of the sink. Personally, it wasn't something I would want to wear when going to school. But I had to admit, I actually kind of liked it. A blue jacket made of a semi-thick material and snap on buttons was neatly tucked into pants of the same material and color. A yellow belt divided the area between the shirt and pants, preventing it from looking like a jumpsuit. The buttons, collar, and cuffs of the outfit were yellow. Three pockets were aligned on either side of the buttons, with snap buttons of their own. The outside and lid of the pockets were yellow as well. It was a bit gaudy, but even then.

I hopped off the sink and headed toward the door. I grabbed my "magic mop", thinking I was probably going to need it. Sponge had been leaning against the wall when I stepped outside. His thumbs were interlocked with each other and his hands were making a flapping motion in the air. A soft hum was audible under his breath. "Is that supposed to be a bird," I asked in reference to his hands.

"What bird?"

"The one you..." I trailed off, noticing his hands were back down to sides, "Never mind."

He stared at me for longer than I was comfortable with; awkward silences seemed to be the norm for this guy. I almost let out a sigh of relief when he finally said something, "So anyway, I'm here to give you a tour of the Between and 'show you the ropes' if you will." He motioned for me to follow, "Come on, we're going to Unicorn Way." He zoomed off, emphasis on the zooming; he had already disappeared somewhere by the time I realized he started moving. If he honestly thought I could have followed him... He came zooming back as fast as he left, "Why didn't you follow?"

"You left to fast!" I defended myself, "There was no way in hell I could have caught up."

"Why didn't you use your mop then?" He sounded confused.

"My mop?" I raised an eyebrow in question. Last night's conversation suddenly came back to me. "Oh yeah, didn't you say something about being able to ride our cleaning tools didn't you?"

"Did I?" He sounded confused, "Did I also tell you how to ride them?"

I swear to God, this guy was on something. I shook my head, "No, I have no idea in hell how to ride this thing." I waved my mop in the air for emphasis.

"Ah, I see," Sponge nodded emphatically, "It's really easy." Assuring words from a less than assuring person. "Since it's a mount, you, well, you mount it." I gave an internal chuckle; I could have figured that part out. Obviousness aside, I obliged with the instructions. To say I felt stupid holding a mop between my legs was an understatement. "Now just lift your feet off the ground." The instructions were simple enough, but acting on those instructions would be a bit more difficult. I lifted up the first leg, but while trying to left my other one, I put the first leg back on the ground; this continued for quite a number of seconds. I didn't doubt I looked pretty idiotic hopping from one foot to the other. "Are you okay?" Sponge asked.

"I'm fine!" I snapped back, the anger behind my tone coming from my annoyance with him, myself, and this stupid mop. Honestly, what was I so afraid of? My skin was _way_ to tough to let a few foot drop even skin me. The falling part however... I shuddered. I could almost feel my stomach rocketing into my throat. I took a deep breath and tried to assure myself that the drop would be very small. Clenching the handle, I finally kicked up both my legs. The mop bobbed slightly, but otherwise remained airborn. The elation I felt in my chest was near indescribable. Sure I was only a few feet in the air, but what kid didn't dream of flying at least once in their life? A sudden realization hit me, "How do I steer this?"

"Hm? Oh, it doesn't need to be steered," noticing my confusion, or at least I think he was, Sponge continued, "A mount that isn't a living creature can't work unless it has someone to use it. For example, if you got of your mop and let go, it would just drop to the ground. Since your holding on to it, the mount connects the little magic it has in it's system to your magic. To an extent, as long as you hold on to your tool, it's a part of your body and will move as naturally as your arms and legs. In other words, your tool goes wherever you need it to go." I barely understood how I was able to move my own limbs, and now I had an _extra_ one? I don't think I'll be able to figure this one out. "Now come on, you can keep up now," Sponge quickly turned heel and sped off.

"Wait I-!" I wasn't even able to complete the sentence before he dissapeared from sight once again. Okay, so this thing was supposed to move as naturally as the rest of my body right? So go forward my magical mop of wonder! Nothing happened. Forward I say! Nothing. _Forward_ damn it! A few more moments of absolute nothingness passed. Forget _this_. I hopped off the mop and sprinted like hell after Sponge.

* * *

><p>"Oh, there you are," Sponge waved at me when I finally caught up, "What happened to riding your mop like I taught you?"<p>

"It wasn't working out for me," I passively waved it off.

"What wasn't working out for you?" He tilted his head to the side.

I raised an eyebrow, "Riding my mop."

"What about riding your mop? You can do that you know, want me to show you how?"

My eye twitched, "You just showed me... Nevermind. No thanks, it's fine."

He shrugged, "Suit yourself." Sponge turned to the tunnel in front of us, "Just past here is Unicorn way, where I'll show you how to clean up after duels." I nodded in acknowledgement. I had to admit, I was pretty curious to see how these "duels" worked. Walking through the tunnel, he went on, "Unicorn Way is usually the place new wizards start off, since the monsters around here are relatively weak. The same goes for new janitors, since the weaker attacks are a lot easier to clean up after." Oh, that made sen- Wait, what about monsters? My mouth hung open when I saw what he was reffering to. Just over the grassy hill, numerous ghosts, at least that's what they looked like, were wandering the streets. My mouth went dry and my eyes widened. Sponge seemed to notice my expression, "Considering your from a place where monsters don't exist, it's perfectly understandable for you to be fearfu-"

"That's so cool!" I screamed in delight. All those years of watching illegal horror movies and paranormal research shows couldn't compare to _this_! Regardless of what these spirits were doing, just to be able to see one in real life was exilerating. I ran over to get a closer look at one of them. Looking it over, I noticed something, "Hey Sponge! There all wearing the same cloak as you!"

Sponge floated over, "The design is similar, but no. I'm not wearing a soul cloak."

"Then what kind of cloak are you wearing?"

He didn't respond, I wouldn't be surprised if he had already forgotten what we were taking about. "Oh, a duel! Come on, Calamity!" He yanked me away from the spirit.

"My name isn't-" I stopped short when I finally saw the duel he had been talking about; it actually looked pretty cool. A person in funny clothes stood on one side of what I assumed was some kind of circular "playing board" and a soul stood on the other. The person was very slowly raising what looked like some kind of wand.

"Come on, he's just about to cast a spell," Sponge pulled me onto the 'playing board', "As I may or may not have mention before, the Between's time moves about five times faster than regular, which makes it a lot easier to clean up after battles. However, it can be especially tedious to wait around for the duelers to cast their spells. So when cleaning up a duel, we are able to control the time flow within the space. For example," he casually waved his hand and the wizard with wand suddenly sped up to a more normal speed. My heart nearly jumped out my chest when a large blue snake appeared out nowhere. I watched in awe as the snake hissed at the spirit, right before sending a spur of electricity from it's tail at the ghost. The snake disappeared as suddenly as it appeared and with a slight flick of his hand, the scene froze. "This is where the cleaning part comes in, see that stuff over there?" He pointed to the slightly singed ground, "Watch me." Sponge floated over to the singe marks. Suddenly dropping in height, it took me a moment to realize the sponges he had been wearing were now touching the ground. He's _really_ short, isn't he? The disbelief that this guy was actally older than me grew once again. Sponge skated across board, the marks disappearing behind him as he did so. "We also have to be sure to clean off the players as well. Even if the player is about to lose," He proceeded to lift his leg and press the sponge he had on one of his feet against the spirit and clean the large black marks on it. I stifled a laugh, he certainly was flexible though. Another flick and thee scene sped back up, the spirit disappearing from sight along with the "playing board". The funny dressed wizard was already "running" in another direction.

"Since your still a trainee, it would probably be best if you didn't do any cleaning right away," Sponge put in.

"Sure, whatever. I can wait," I shrugged. As cool as it was to see real monsters, I never really did enjoy cleaning. I looked up, something catching my eye. "Uh, Sponge, I think those people are staring at you," I pointed at the the group of three a little way off. One off them looked like they were motioning us over. "I think they want to talk to you."

"It's looks like it, doesn't it?" He remarked passively, "Stay here, I'll be back in a moment." He quickly floated over the people who had beeen calling him over.

I looked around, a few battles were occuring and seemed to be going on off at rather random speeds. Is that what had been going on while Sponge and I were cleaning, I couldn't help but wonder? I turned back to look at where Sponge had gone off too. The people around him looked quite a few years older and none of them seemed very happy. I wasn't very surprised, from the little time I've know him I already knew Sponge's tendency to inadvertantly insult people. Honestly, what has he done- My thoughts were interrupted when one of them picked him up by the throat. What the hell's going on over there? I sprinted over, "What the hell are you doing? Let him go!" They looked at me in surprise, but nonetheless let him down.

"Come on guys, he isn't worth it," the girl coaxed them away. As they left I thought I heard one of them mutter 'sick bastard' under their breath.

"What happened?" I asked, my heart beating faster than normal.

"Nothing, just a bit of a misunderstanding," He shrugged nonchalantly.

I raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "Misunderstanding? They were looking at you like you killed a baby."

Sponge paused and let out a slight laugh, "What a way of putting it. Ah well, it doesn't matter now. Come on, I'll show you a few more battles before we leave."


	5. Introductions Part Four

_Clutching her knees to her chest, she huddled deeper under the covers. Every dog bark and tree branch scraping against the window suddenly seemed much more threatening. The night's movie kept relaying over and over again in her head. She could almost hear the man's organs splatter on the ground as that horrible, fur-covered claw ripped open his stomach._

_She pondered leaving her own room to spend the night in her parents, but the idea was quickly squashed. They knew her all too well to tell that this kind of reaction was from another horror movie. A horror movie she had been explicitely told not to watch, that is. In other words, she had two choices. The first choice being that she seek protection and comfort from her parents at the risk of getting in trouble for disobeying. The second choice was to wait it out until daylight at the risk of being eaten by a monster that probably wasn't there. This was quite a dilemna, obviously._

_Or perhaps, there was a third option..._

_A plan formulated in her mind that was bound to make both parties happy; nonexistent or otherwise. Hopping out of bed, she sped out of the room to prepare her masterful plot._

* * *

><p><em>"Good morning!" A familiar knock sounded on her bedroom door, "Wake up and eat your breakfast, it's on the table."<em>

_"Kay, Daddy," the child rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she slowly crawled out of bed and made her way out the door. The father went over to the dresser drawers, pulling out a few articles of clothing for his daughter to wear to school. Placing them on the bed, he couldn't help but notice a strange smell. Leaning over, he peered under the bed where the smell was the strongest. Curious, he pulled one of the ceramic plates from the cabinet out from underneath the bed._

_"Chicken nuggets?"_

* * *

><p>The girl standing outside my door was attractive to say the least. Model attractive to be more specific; and she didn't look more that a couple of years older than I was. If this is what she looks like now, I couldn't help but wonder what she'd look like when she's fully grown. Judging from her appearance, it looked like she might have been Indian or something, her dark hair was being pulled out of her face with a couple of butterfly hairclips. "I'm so pleased to finally meet you!" She grinned broadly, her voice had a noticable English accent. She grabbed my hand and shook it furiously, "I heard you were coming, but I wasn't able to meet you until now! Obviously you've probably already figured that out since we've never met until this moment. Oh, I'm just so happy to finally meet you!" My whole body was being shaken up at the strange girl's rough handshake. A look of realization swept across her face and she quickly pulled her hand away, "Oh, I'm so sorry! Where are my manners?" She looked rather flustered, "My name is Hallow Rosechain, I am the Controller of Wizard City Cleaning Crew 395."<p>

I waited until my vision stopped shaking before I replied, "Controller? I thought Sponge was the team leader, or are you one of those manager type people?"

She looked confused, but a laugh soon escaped her, "I'm sorry for laughing, it's easy to forget that your not from around here. No, I'm not a "manager type" person. As for what a Controller is, that's actually one of the reasons that I'm here for. Follow me, please!"

Apparently 'follow me' was less of a suggestion than it was an inevitability, as I was suddenly yanked throught the doorway and pulled through the streets. I found myself bobbing and weaving just to avoid being run down by other people. Holy crap, could this girl run or what?

The world seemed to spin momentarily and I struggled to keep my balance; it took me a moment to realize that we had stopped. I placed my hands on my head in order to ease the drastic vision changes. "Well then," I resisted the urge to throw out an insulting remark, "That was _fun_." I couldn't help but make the last word a bit too venemous.

"I'm sorry," Hallow looked sheepish, "I can get a bit too happy times. But I just couldn't wait to show you this place!" She let out an excited squeal, making me jump in shock. God, this girl was so happy and sweet; I was starting to fear I'd get diabetes from hanging around her too long. I looked the structure she was referring to and immediately grimmaced. It looked just like...

"Your new school!" Hallow clapped, as if I, or someone unseen, had done something amazing, "Come on, I'll show you around!" Soon, I was once again holding my head to ease the the dizziness. Only now, I was inside a school building this time. Could this day get any better? "We're going to meet your teachers!" Apparently, yes.

* * *

><p>"You'll have four classes," Hallow explained as she "lead" me down the hallways, "Basic Knowledge, Pre-Control, Pre-Philosophy, and Pre-Manipulation."<p>

"Only four? I guess it could've been worse," I shrugged passively, noting that we had finally come to a stop. Hallow offered a blank stare, her gaze wavering over me a bit too long for comfort.

"Was that supposed to be your "happy face"?"

"Was what my what now?" I raised an eyebrow.

The smile returned to her face as quickly as it had left, "For a second there, you didn't look angry."

"For a second?" I couldn't help but feel both insulted and embarrassed. It seemed that while I was making my own observations about _her_, she was making her own observations as well. But the way she put it... I don't _always_ look angry. Do I? "Well, you _smile_ too much, you sugar princess!" A poor excuse for an insult, but it was the best I could come up with in response to her "insult". Hallow only gave a surprised look and quickly burst into laughter.

"That's an interesting way to put it," She chuckled, "First off, your Basic Knowledge teacher!" She lead me through the classroom door. The teacher, along with the classroom, had a certain nostalgic feel to it, though I couldn't quite put my finger on the reason why. The pastel yellow walls were layered with posters of encouraging slogans and tiny wooden figurines lined the teacher's desk.

"Hello, you must be Calamity. I heard a new Janitor was coming from outside of the Between, we don't get those very often," She smiled warmly. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes (along with correcting my name), why were teachers always so nice when you meet them? It was as if all the teachers in the world had a meeting on how exactly they would act towards students upon first introduction and after that, all else was free game. Nonetheless, I gave a nod of acknowledgement. "I'm your Basic Knowledge teacher, you can call me Ms. Fairyglitter."

I couldn't resist letting out a stifled laugh. Fairyglitter? These people had some seriously messed up surnames. There was no way I was going to let the name Ms. Fairyglitter slip out of my mouth, it sounded like something a kiddie show would come up with. "Can I call you anything else?"

She appeared taken aback, "Er, no. Ms. Fairyglitter will do fine." Clearing her throat, she continued, "I'll be teaching about the common knowledge most people require throughout daily life, take math and english for instance." My eyebrows raised in surprise; huh, I guess these guys weren't all about magic as I thought they were.

"How long will this take to complete?" I asked.

She smiled, "That's a very good question. It actually varies from student to student, depending on how well they're able to retain the information given. Though for most, it usually ranges from several months to a year."

"Ah, is that so?" I tried to hide the nervousness in my voice. How well we're able to retain the information? Now I was in no way stupid, but school work was admittedly not my forte. If this was the case, I had little hope of graduating anytime soon.

Almost as if she were reading my mind, she added, "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine," I relaxed slightly and she continued, "I'm sure you'll do a lot better than in your previous school."

My fists clenched at the comment. I could tell the remark was intended to be friendly, but I couldn't help but feel insulted. Inhaling, I readied myself to voice my concerns. _Loudly_. Unfortunately or thankfully, I was quickly interrupted by Hallow yanking me out of the room, who was going on about meeting the other teachers.

* * *

><p>The Pre-Control classroom had a more mystical ambiance to it than the last room. The room was dimly lit by candles and smelled of incense. Due to the lack of lighting I couldn't quite make out the rest of the room.<p>

"Hey there."

I jumped at the sudden voice, "_Huh_?"

"Woah there!" A man who I had failed to notice before raised his hands defensively, "Didn't mean to startle you, I'm the Pre-Control teacher, Johnathan Darkflyer. Call me John."

"Uh, hi...John," I gave a half-hearted wave, "So, what's this class about?"

He gave a friendly smile, "I'm glad you asked! This class is all about peace of mind. In here, you'll learn all about being able to keep yourself and others calm and content."

I raised an eyebrow, "So like, meditation and stuff?"

John nodded, "Sometimes, yeah."

"And if you show signs of being a Controller," Hallow butted in, making me jump, "You can move up to the Control class!"

There was that word again. I turned to the excitable female Janitor, "You said before that you were a Controller, what is that?"

"It's a person with the ability to control other's fears," John explained, leaning listlessly in his chair.

I perked with interest and looked at Hallow, "So you can make people afraid of you?" My eyes widened slightly, that was an interesting ability indeed. It was especially surprising imaging the sugar princess with that ability.

She shrugged sheepishly, "Technically, yes. I've even heard of cases where particularly talented Controllers being able to give others brain damage from the high level of fear they cause. But it would incredibly immoral to do so."

"Speaking of being particulary talented," John began, "Hallow Rosechain, right? From the Marleybone Section?"

Hallow looked up in surprise, "Y-yes?"

John laughed, "I knew I recognized you! The Control teacher from the Marleybone Section kept bragging on and on about her especially talented student that had graduated a few years back. Showed me a picture and everything!"

"Especially talented?" I asked, as Hallow looked at her feet bashfully.

"Yep, Ms. Rosechain here has the special talent of being able to control a person's fear even when she's not in the same room," John smiled.

My eyebrows raised up onced again, "Oh, really?"

"Well, not _exactly_..." She shrugged, looking slightly uncomfortable, "Anyway, let's go meet your Pre-Manipulation teacher!"

* * *

><p>The Pre-Manipulation looked more like a school gym than a classroom; or do school gyms count as classrooms? Though unlike a regular school gym, there was a distinct lack of basketball hoops, courtlines, and bleachers. A woman dressed in a jogging outfit seemed to be busy arranging some unseen items in a storage locker.<p>

"Ma'am? We're here about the class introduction," Hallow smiled and waved at the woman. When she walked over, I was noticed the heavy makeup that was layered across her face. Coupled with the jogging outfit, it almost looked as if she was planning to go somewhere important and then changed her mind.

"Yes, I remember," She nodded curtly and turned to face me, "So you're the new meat, huh? I'm Karen Myrrhfalls, you will address me as Mrs. Myrrhfalls."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, "Yeah, okay, and this class is for...?"

Myrrhfalls narrowed her eyes, "This class is about staying in peak physical and magical condition. Here we will be pushing you're physical and magical capibilites to the limit, possibly further."

Ah, so I was right to assume this place was similiar to a school gym. This place was nothing more than some glorified PE class. Well, that's not so bad; PE had actually been my favorite class. The magic part however... I grimaced, remembering the incident I had with my mop. "Yeah, that's fascinating," I remarked dryly, "Let's wrap this up. Just tell me what a Manipulator does so we can be on our way."

Myrrhfalls was hammering me with a full on glare now, "A Manipulator is a person who has the ability to control the surrounding area."

I raised an eyebrow, "So, telepathy then?"

"No," Hallow shook her head, taking over for the seething Pre-Manipulation teacher, "A Manipulator can control the, er, "wall" between this world and the outerworld. You'll learn more about this later on."

"Now that you've gotten your information," Myrrhfalls leered, "You can "wrap this up" just like you wanted to."

Hallow grinned sheepishly, "Uh, right. W-we better get going now, come on Calamity."

* * *

><p>The Pre-Philosophy classroom resembled a cross between a science lab and a history museum. Dusty, old books and fossils littered across the room contrasted against the shiny, black tables and crystalline beakers.<p>

A tall man wearing a lab coat approached us, "Hello, you must be Calamity. You can call me Mr. Staticbreeze I've heard a lot about you; you're a bit famous in the scientific community, being from Earth." I tilted my head, scientists find me interesting, huh? Well that certainly wasn't a first for me.

"M'kay, so is this like the science class or something?" I shrugged, changing the subject.

"Actually, yes. This class specializes in scientific experiments along with the history of the Spiral," Staticbreeze nodded, "The people who become Philosophers have the ability to see an object's or sometimes even a person's past."

The moment he finished his sentence, I turned on my heels and walked towards the door, "That's all I needed to know, see ya!"

"C-Calamity!" Hallow called out, rushing behind me.

* * *

><p>"That was faster that I expected," I stated in surprise, "How long were we in there for? Ten minutes, maybe?"<p>

Hallow sighed, "Actually, we were supposed to be in each class for _at least_ a half an hour. But with your, er, _expressive_ personality, it was probably for the best that we had cut the times short." My usual frown deepened slightly, trying to ignore what she was implying about my behavior.

"Oh, that's right!" I jumped at Hallow's sudden exclamation, "I forgot to give you this." She placed a shiny looking card in my hand, it took me a moment to realized that it was an ID card. A numbered code, along with my "name", and picture was rather expected; though I couldn't help but wonder where they had gotten a picture of me. I was a little surprised to see my age on the card as well.

"Hey, why doesn't it have my birthdate, wouldn't it be easier to just put that on the card instead of having to change my age every year?"

She chuckled, "Since time flows differently here, some people might find the concept of dates rather confusing. The card is enchanted so that if you age a year, it'll show on the card as well. You're experience will change as well."

I raised an eyebrow, "Experience?"

"It's how old you are in the Between," Hallow explained and reached into her pocket, pulling out her own ID card. I glanced it over:

Age: 2

Experience: 14

I stared blankly at Hallow for a few moments, "You're...two years old."

"Yup! I'll be three next year!" She grinned, "Anyway, here's you're house. You should probably get some sleep. After all, you've got school tommorrow!"

* * *

><p>I glared at the ID card I held in my hand, my picture glaring right back.<p>

Age: 12

Experience: 12

Five years here is a year on the the outside. So, I guess I'll technically be twelve for roughly another five years. I groaned, things had been so much simpler back on Earth. I tossed the ID in the drawer next to my bed. When I get back home, I can't wait to forget about all this crazy nonsense.


	6. An Eventful First Day

I groaned loudly as I crawled out of bed. Still groggy from sleep, I slowly rubbed my eyes. I took my time putting on the clothes I planned on wearing to my first day of school. It was rather ironic, considering I had worn the same outfit for my _other_ first day of school just a few days prior. Or, I counted on my fingers, would it really be only a few hours prior? I shook my head, whatever, it didn't really matter.

I guess this was supposed to be my first day of school: version two. Sighing at the prospect, I headed out the door.

* * *

><p>Considering the fact that I was practically dragged there by a certain someone the first time I came here, the school was a bit harder to find by myself. After several minutes of precious time asking for directions, I finally found the place. I rushed toward the Basic Knowledge classroom just minutes before class started. Just before I stepped through the doorway, my body froze at what I saw inside the classroom.<p>

I stared on in disbelief, hoping that it was some kind of joke. I finally figured out why this classroom had felt so nostalgically familiar to me, it was uncannily similar to my fourth grade classroom. Several children no older than nine or ten years old filled the seats. _Wonderful_... I sighed and took one of the empty seats at the back of the classroom.

A little blue haired sat in the seat next to mine, I couldn't help but wonder if it was natural. With all the crap that's happened, I really wouldn't be all too surprised if it was. She smiled at me and I offered a small nod of acknowledgment. I faced the front of the class, Fairyglitter was going on about ratios or something. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that the blue haired girl was still staring at me. The same bright smile was plastered over her face.

I tried my best to ignore her. What was her deal? I heard the soft scraping of metal and quickly realized that she moved her seat closer to mine. A chill ran up my spine as she continued to smile at me, only this time with less space between us.

"Hi," the girl whispered, "You're that Earth girl, right?" I relaxed, it was just some curious little kid. I mentally slapped myself for even humoring the thought that some little girl was some random psychopath.

"I guess so," I whispered back, shrugging passively.

Her smile grew, "I knew it. My dad showed me an article about you. A bunch of researchers are totally worked up over the whole thing."

"So I've heard," I remarked dryly, remembering what the Pre-Philosophy teacher had told me the day before. I inwardly sighed, it seemed that no matter what universe I was in, scientists just seemed to freaking _love_ me.

She smiled and discretely stuck her hand under the table, "My name's Emma."

I tried to hide my surprise and shook her hand in return, "I'm... Calamity, sort of."

"Sort of?" She whispered, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"Nevermind," I shook my head, "You know, I had a friend from Earth named Emma."

She smiled, "Well, now you have _two_ friends named Emma."

* * *

><p>"To understand how to control fear, keeping in mind the biological aspects can be important," John stated, sitting cross legged on his desk. A variety of children had made themselves comfortable on the supplied bean bags and lawn chairs. An enchanting floral scent wafted across the dimly lit room. I sat limply in a lawn chair beside Emma, who had taken her seat on a blue bean bag.<p>

He continued, "All of you have what is called an organ called an egeslic located in your body, can anyone tell me what that is?" I watched as a few of the children raised their hands. I was rather taken aback when Emma began flailing both her arms around, practically jumping out of her seat. "Yes, Emma? I'm getting the feeling you _really_ want to tell us," John tried to hold back a laugh.

Emma beamed, "The egeslic is an organ that produces a chemical that induces fear. This chemical is transported through our bodies and released as an odorless and invisible gas from our skin."

"Correct," John nodded in approval, "Though we only excrete small amounts of this chemical at a time. Due to the fact that we are constantly inhaling these chemicals, our bodies have become immune to the natural secretion of this chemical. Those who aren't used to it, will feel constant anxiety until they're bodies have adjusted to it. In higher doses, it could paralyse someone with fear."

I slowly rotated my hands and squinted my eyes, trying to see if I could detect any sort trace of this chemical. I didn't really know what I expected to see, being that the chemical was both _odorless and invisible_. Still, it was unsettling to know that I was constantly leaking a gas that could make people become terrified of me. Why would I have it at all? I was no expert, but what purpose did something like this serve?

"John?" I called out, he look at me expectantly, "What's the point in this ability? I mean it's cool and all, but why would our kind develop with something like this?" I immediately regretted asking this. Numerous sets of eyes locked on me, looking like I had just grown a second head. I did notice a few clueless people who were only staring just because everyone else was though.

"I'm sorry Calamity," John shook his head, "But this school isn't allowed to teach about the history of the Between." I stared at him in bafflement; I was just asking a question about evolution, as far as I could tell, that was a science question. Wasn't it?

* * *

><p>"Aren't there laws against this or something?" I quickly jumped to my left, a glowing rubber ball whizzing past my ear. Myrrhfalls had decided to orchestrate a rather onesided dodgeball game. Literally. Dodgeballs were throwing themselves every which way, the only point of the game seemed to be to just get out of their way.<p>

"It's difficult, but I don't think there's anything illegal about this," Emma frowned, hopping over a ball that was aiming for her legs.

I shook my head, "No, I mean the whole "Janitor" thing. Isn't it immoral to force children to work in a single job? Aren't there, like, child labor laws around here or something?"

"We don't have to be janitors if we don't want to, it's only encouraged," Emma shrugged, "Some people choose other jobs. But if they do, it's usually only a side job. Around here, as long as you're capable, you can get a job at any age." Huh, so that's another thing that differs from home. I guess I shouldn't be surprised though, human-like or not, this is an entirely different place. "Funny you should ask that though," she continued, "Personally, I don't want to be a janitor."

I looked at her in surprise, "Really? What do you want to be?"

She smiled at me, her nine year old face and flower patterned dress looking absolutely adorable, "A mortician."

I stared at her in stunned silence, not even noticing the dodgeball flying towards my face.

* * *

><p>"Does anyone know what this is?" Were the first words out of Staticbreeze's mouth as the beginning of class. A jar was place on his desk, filled with some kind of dark fog.<p>

"Oh, I know! I know! That's a fizzle cloud!" Emma yelled out.

"That's correct, and please raise your hand next time," he nodded. Emma looked away in embarrassment. He went on, "For those of you who have seen a battle, you've probably seen one of these things around and where there's a fizzle cloud a battler will most likely fizzle. For those of you who don't know what fizzling is, it's basically just failure of a spell casting. Fizzle clouds are attracted to battles and will try their hardest to get to them." He picked up the jar and handed to the kid in the upper corner seat of the room, "You can pass this around to get a closer look, but please don't open the jar." Numerous children had immediately taken to shaking it in order to see the contents swirl around. Hardly anyone noticed the child standing in the doorway.

"Ex-excuse me?" The child asked timidly, "Calamity is wanted in the office, it's an emergency." I stared at the kid in confusion. I had only been here for a few "days", what could possibly constitute as an emergency. I got up and walking towards the doorway as the teacher waved me away.

* * *

><p>My clothes exploded.<p>

That made about as much sense to me as it did to you. My clothes literally exploded, and then disintegrated right in front of me. Right in front of the child who had called me out of class too. Along with everyone standing in the hallway. You know that dream where you forget to put clothes on before you go to school? Well apparently, this place can make that dream a reality.

I stood frozen in shock, naked, in the middle of the hallway. About a dozen people were gaping in horror. The child who had been escorting me to the office was currently turned away, cover their eyes. "Oh shit," were the only words out of my mouth before bolting to the nearest bathroom.

My face was red with embarrassment as I locked myself in the nearest stall. I folded my knees to my chest and tightly shut my eyes. Of all the things that could have gone wrong today, _that_ happened. Was that even a thing around here? Did clothes usually just randomly disintegrate? I knew that nothing like this would ever happen back home.

I pulled my legs closer as I heard the bathroom door open. "Calamity, you in here?" A boy's voice, _Kory's_ voice.

"Y-yeah?" I answered nervously, "What do you want?"

"We're here about your clothes," it sounded like Sponge was here as well.

I sat in silence for a few moments before it finally clicked, "So, you knew that was going to happen?" My voice was slow and deliberate as I spoke, my embarrassment was quickly evolving into anger.

Kory laughed nervously, "Sort of. Before we brought you to the Between, we had to enchant your clothes and hair so they wouldn't be destroyed when we brought you here. We kind of misjudged the time limit of the spell though. Heh." Wait, hair? My hands flew to my head, a distinct lack of hair was felt.

"I see," I hissed through clenched teeth, "It probably would have been helpful if you told me about this ahead of time."

"Probably," Sponge responded dissmissively, "You can wear you're uniform for now." He tossed the familiar blue and yellow uniform over the door of the stall. I put it on and calmly exited the stall. My hand was on the bathroom door when I stopped and turned to the boys behind me. My voice was even as I spoke, "If anything like that happens again, I'll show you what life is like without a spleen."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: First off, I wanted to say that fizzle clouds don't belong to me, they are the property of fellow fanfic writer Goldenpelt's father. I would also like to thank Goldenpelt for supplying me with the information for the fizzle clouds.**

**I would also like to point out that the "book cover" of this story belongs to Pokegirl14 of DeviantArt.**

**While I'm still talking, I'd like to point out that Calamity is an asshole. Whenever she's rude to someone, it's mean to come off as rude. I'm not one of those authors that lets their characters do and say whatever they want just because they're the main character. If you think what she's says sounds jerkish, then it probably is. Just wanted to say this ahead of time in case there was any confusion.**


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